Polaris Rising by Jessie MihalikPolaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
Published by Harper Voyager on February 5, 2019
Genres: Sci Fi Romance
Pages: 448
Format: eBook
Source: Advance Reader Copy, edelweiss
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure—the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.

In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.
Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.

When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her House. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.

But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive Devil, you may lose more than you bargained for . . .

Someone recommended I read Polaris Rising, and while I don’t really read Sci Fi, I was really intrigued by the plot, add the fact it’s Sci Fi Romance, and I wanted to give it a shot. I’m trying to read more authors than just my favorites. This books starts out strong. A fight, a capture, an escape, and a kiss. Ada is on the run. Her father wants her to marry someone from a rival house, and he didn’t take her seriously when she said she would not marry the man he’d picked. So she ran. She lived as a mercenary and it wasn’t until her father put the universe’s biggest bounty ever on her head, that she was finally captured. But when she’s captured, she doesn’t go quietly. For her efforts, they toss her in a cell with another bounty they’ve captured. Marcus Loch had previously held the honor of highest bounty in the universe until Ada. Being locked in the same cell is intriguing. She’s working on an escape plan and once she realizes who he is, she knows she needs him. Their escape isn’t easy and neither is surviving. The man who tries to pay her bounty turned out to be her would-be fiance, and she knows something more is going on than a worried man bringing his would-be fiancee home. There’s trouble brewing and he basically threatens an intergalactic war, if she doesn’t marry him. Because that’s normal. The two of them were friends growing up, but he’s changed, and not for the better. Marcus Loch becomes more than just her guide/ticket out of there. I’ve read this book twice already. I mean that alone should be my review. I grew up reading Sci Fi and Fantasy. It’s what my dad had in his office, it’s what my friends read. I craved books, and my dad had thousands… One fortuitous camping trip when I was 13, I found Harlequins and spent 3 days binge reading them. I’ve never been able to go back to Sci Fi. And then this book happened. I think that even if you aren’t a science fiction fan, that this book will work for you. I also think that if you are a Sci Fi fan, you’ll love this book. I’ve been telling everyone on Twitter and in real life that they should read this book. But usually I’m saying it in shouty capitals. 😉 ***ARC courtesy of Harper Collins via Edelweiss
five-stars